webnovelfull Chapter 419: Whereabouts
Chapter 419: Whereabouts
Three days later, at the Marquis of Jing'an's residence.
After reporting the day's events, the guard respectfully withdrew.
Shen Fuhan lay on his back on the bed, closing his eyes to rest.
He hasn't been coughing for the past two days, and his fever has subsided, but he's still extremely weak.
More than ten days after the poisoning, I still haven't recovered much.
Mr. Qian said it was because he hadn't taken good care of himself and had been overworking himself recently, so the bone-corroding powder couldn't be completely expelled.
If he doesn't rest properly, his life may be in danger.
Shen Fuhan was naturally reluctant to die. Even if the King of Hell himself came to claim his life, he would hold on until he found A-Yue before closing his eyes.
"Mother, I want my mother..."
Suddenly, Zhao Zhao's crying came from outside the door.
Then came the wet nurse's anxious voice: "Miss, let's go back to our room first, so as not to disturb the Marquis's rest."
Cai'er quickly added, "Miss, don't cry. Shall I play with the rattle drum for you?"
But the child, who was crying, couldn't hear anything. Zhao Zhao only knew that she hadn't seen her mother for a very long time, and she clung to the bedroom door frame, refusing to let go.
The wet nurse and Cai'er were extremely anxious. The Marquis was sleeping in his bedroom, how could they disturb him?
They wanted to cover her mouth, but they were afraid of breaking the rules and being blamed by the Marquis.
Just as I was feeling completely lost, I heard the Marquis's voice coming from inside the house.
“Bring Zhaozhao in.”
The wet nurse and Cai'er exchanged a glance, picked up the young lady, and nervously went inside, kneeling down to beg for forgiveness.
"This servant failed to appease the young lady and disturbed the Marquis's rest. It was my fault, and I beg the Marquis to punish me."
Shen Fuhan didn't argue with them and told them to leave first.
With teary eyes, Zhao Zhao threw herself into her father's arms, her words muffled as she cried, "Mother, Zhao Zhao wants Mother, where is Mother?"
Shen Fuhan took out a handkerchief and wiped her daughter's face clean, which was covered in tears.
Zhao Zhao obediently closed her eyes and let him wipe her.
She would sniffle from time to time, her little face looking aggrieved and sad.
Shen Fuhan said softly, "Mother will be back soon, Zhaozhao, don't cry."
A few days ago, he lied to Zhaozhao and said that her mother had gone out to play. Zhaozhao believed him easily and did not cry or make a fuss.
Gradually, she would wake up crying several times at night and become depressed during the day. Even the seasons Liqiu and Xiaoman could no longer make her laugh.
It only fully erupted today, which shows how strong they've been.
Zhao Zhao looked at her father intently and muttered, "Father, you're lying to Zhao Zhao."
As soon as she finished speaking, her tears fell like beads from a broken string, large drops scorching his heart.
Shen Fuhan hugged his daughter and hurriedly wiped away her tears.
"Don't cry, Zhao Zhao. Daddy didn't lie to you. You'll see Mommy soon," Shen Fuhan said helplessly. "How about Daddy lets your little fish brother come and keep you company?"
Zhao Zhao shook her head; all she wanted was her mother.
Thinking of her mother, her little mouth twitched, and the tears she had managed to hold back flowed again.
"Mother, mother..."
Shen Fuhan sighed softly, unsure how to comfort her.
He doesn't even want to see Cui Yu, so he must be really heartbroken.
He silently wiped away her tears until Zhao Zhao cried herself to sleep.
Shen Fuhan tucked the blanket around his daughter, looked at her long eyelashes wet with tears, and leaned down to kiss her.
Don't worry, Zhao Zhao, you will find your mother.
The thought had just formed in my mind when someone knocked on the door.
The guard lowered his voice and said, "My lord, I have something important to report."
Shen Fuhan glanced at his sleeping daughter, and not wanting to disturb her sleep, he simply put on his clothes and got up.
"Come in."
The person who came was Guard Wu, and the two talked in the outer room.
Guard Wu reported: "A quarter of an hour ago, a suspicious-looking man appeared near the Marquis's residence. He was around forty years old. I have already sent people to investigate his background. Does the Marquis have any further instructions?"
Shen Fuhan would not let it go easily. At this time, if someone acting suspiciously appeared near the Marquis's residence, it was either Pei Huaijin's man or Li Zhilan's man.
He pondered for a moment and said, "If there is an opportunity, tie him up and bring him here. See if he has any accomplices, and capture them all. Make sure to keep them alive."
Guard Wu clasped his hands in response.
"Waaah... Mother..."
From inside came Zhao Zhao's faint sobs, like a nightmare.
Shen Fuhan waved away the guards and hurriedly returned to the inner room, where he grasped Zhaozhao's hand, which was flailing wildly in mid-air.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Zhao started kicking off the blankets again, her face full of anxiety.
"Mother! Mother!"
Shen Fuhan pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of clothing that Wen Jiayue often wore from the wardrobe and put it into Zhao Zhao's arms.
As if smelling a familiar scent, Zhao Zhao stopped fussing, rubbed her little face against her clothes, and fell asleep peacefully.
Away from the bedroom, Guard Wu and Cai'er were talking.
Guard Wu rubbed his hands together and asked, "Things have been busy at the manor lately, are you... alright?"
Cai'er lowered her eyes and said, "It's fine. How about you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Guard Wu grinned. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Cai'er."
Cai'er smiled and asked, "Why have you come to see the Marquis today?"
Guard Wu opened his mouth but didn't say anything, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss Cai'er, I can't say anything about this."
“I know everything. I witnessed what happened that day,” Cai’er asked. “Is there any news about Madam?”
Seeing that she knew about this, Guard Wu no longer hid it and nodded, saying, "It will be soon."
Cai'er smiled and said, "That's good. You should go back to your work and stop chatting with me."
Guard Wu scratched his head: "But we've had such a hard time getting to see each other..."
“If you’re not leaving, then I’m leaving,” Cai’er said. “The wet nurse and the maids are all watching me, and I feel a little embarrassed.”
Wu, the guard, looked at the wet nurses and saw that their eyes were all on him, and they were whispering among themselves.
He straightened his back, afraid that if they said anything bad about him, Cai'er would stop liking him.
"Then I'll be going. I'll come see you again tomorrow if I have time."
Guard Wu turned around and strode away with steady steps, but after a few steps he seemed to fly away, leaping and running.
Cai'er glanced at it and then looked away, returning to her wet nurse's side.
The wet nurse sighed, "Guard Wu is such a good man. He'll definitely know how to cherish his wife after they get married. Cai'er has really struck gold."
The other maids chimed in, "The wet nurse is right. Guard Wu is handsome and a perfect match for Sister Cai'er."
Cai'er smiled, a slight twitch at the corner of her lips.
Seeing that the smile on her face was somewhat forced, the nanny asked curiously, "Did he make you angry?"
“No, I’m just worried about Miss,” Cai’er looked towards the bedroom, “I don’t know if Miss is still crying.”
The wet nurse patted her shoulder and comforted her, "With the Marquis coaxing you, you can rest assured, and we can relax a bit for now."
Cai'er looked away and nodded gently.
"I don't know when Madam will be back," the wet nurse sighed heavily. "Seeing Miss cry, I couldn't help but shed tears too. Children without mothers are the most pitiful."
“It should be soon,” Cai’er said. “Nanny, I’m going inside first.”